Search - Princess of Thieves on DVD

Family Oriented

C. A. Luster | Burke, VA USA | 05/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This may not wow audiences but it is a decent fictional story from the perspective that Robin and Marian had a daughter. Marian has died and left her husband to raise their daughter. Since he is often gone off to fight for King Richard, it reminds us of single parents raising children today. A tough job that often ends up with some resentment on the part of the child for not being there for them. Sound familiar?

Even still the acting is decent and the production values are good. A relatively light adventure film that the family can enjoy. A romance develops between Gwen and Prince Phillip as he tries to hide from Prince John and the Sheriff of Notingham. Good quality DVD but no extras. Fans of family oriented Disney movies should enjoy it."

Potential Classic

Kenneth Broeckel | Escondido, CA USA | 10/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is a favorite of my daughter and I. I like the main imaginative idea of Robin Hood as a single father, bringing up a daughter named Gwyn. Talk about the ultimate tom boy, right? Well she happens to also be a very beautiful girl and the mix of modern and historical sensibilities about gender and the roles we play sets the stage for philosophical reflection, action and discussions.
The positive aspects of this film begins with the location of the filming. Listening to the commentary points out many interesting facts about Romania and filming in general. There is a very excellent film sequence near the beginning showing progressive growth of Gwyn as she awakes in the morning over an approximate 10 year period. For Star Trek fans there is a very funny little aside where the director refers to 2 of his characters as looking like Klingons and they really do. Keira Knightley is superb in this film. I believe that this film role will one day be seen as a classic for it embodies everything she potentially brings to the screen, but does so in a very family friendly story. I really like this actress, but don't care to follow her harder edged characterizations in some other films. I realize my conservative opinion on this and respect her right to pursue her career as she sees fit. The horses are fantastic. You learn from the commentary that they had difficulty with the wild natured Romanian horses and it is fun to see evidence of this on screen. Look for the roving dogs also.
The negative qualities of this film are mostly humorous. The fight sequences are very tame, which is good for a family film. Keira is never physically convincing as a "boy", but all films require some amount of imaginative play. Jonathan Hyde's acting, while good, is a rip off of Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991's Prince of Thieves. The ending is very sad from a romantic standpoint, even though I understand its historicity. Royal restrictions on marriage are so stupid, as well as restrictions of some church groups on marriage in the clergy. But, I digress.
Overall this is a fun, engaging movie that entertains and makes you think. The primary story revolves around the father/daughter relationship and this movie succeeds in promoting positive dialogue and action if you find yourself in one. When you understand this it makes this movie's ending a very happy beginning. Enjoy!"